Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)

When it comes to higher education, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) stand out as two exceptional institutions with distinct offerings. RISD, a private art and design college, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 29%, while UNC, a public research university, offers a more accessible route with an acceptance rate of 24%. Both schools attract talented students, but their student bodies differ in terms of demographics: RISD's student body is predominantly female (63%), while UNC's is more evenly balanced (52% female, 48% male). While RISD excels in art and design programs, UNC offers a wider range of majors, including popular fields like business, biology, and psychology. With RISD's smaller student body (2,500 undergraduates) compared to UNC's larger population (19,000 undergraduates), students at each institution can expect
Rhode Island School of Design logo

Rhode Island School of Design

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill logo

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Overview

Location Providence, Rhode Island Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Campus setting City: Midsize City: Small
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Public
Calendar system 4-1-4 Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 95.0% 97.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 18.7% 20.4%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $60

Graduate: $60
Undergraduate: $85

Graduate: $95
SAT range 1310 - 1480 1140 - 1380
ACT range 28 - 34 22 - 27
Students submitting SAT score 31.0% 2.0%
Students submitting ACT score 7.0% 12.0%
Total number of applicants 4,742 50,729
Total number of admissions given out 886 10,348
Admitted students who chose to enroll 496 4,690
Yield rate 56.0% 45.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $77,280
In state: $24,770

Out of state: $52,633
Average net price $38,234 $11,508
Tuition $55,220
In state: $7,019

Out of state: $34,882
Room & board $14,790
Room/dormitory: $6,878

Meal plan: $5,004
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Guaranteed tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

37.0%
Average amount $37,286
42.0%
Average amount $16,076
Students receiving federal student loan 36.0%
Average amount $5,296
17.0%
Average amount $4,244
Students taking out private loans 4.0%
Average amount $39,311
3.0%
Average amount $14,032

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,044
Men 33.5% Women 66.5%
19,845
Men 39.6% Women 60.4%
Graduate students 532
Men 34.2% Women 65.8%
11,796
Men 41.4% Women 58.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students N/A 16.2%
International students 35.6% 6.8%
Campus local/setting City: Midsize City: Small
Dormitory capacity 1,450 9,984
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A North Carolina Georgia Maryland New York Pennsylvania

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
  • Architecture
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Precision Production
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Social Sciences
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio 9:1 15:1
Institutional accreditation New England Commission on Higher Education Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome

Graduation rate 86.2% 90.5%
Dropout rate 11.9% 3.7%
Transferred out N/A 5.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Design and Applied Arts (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $55,121
  • Year 2: $68,219
  • Year 3: $70,583
Architecture (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,475
  • Year 2: $48,198
  • Year 3: $58,141
Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $38,129
  • Year 2: $36,166
  • Year 3: $46,057
Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $19,604
  • Year 2: $22,192
  • Year 3: $35,453
Woodworking (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $22,714
  • Year 2: $30,228
  • Year 3: $27,613
Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $30,365
  • Year 2: $28,055
  • Year 3: $27,580
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $20,934
  • Year 2: $22,627
  • Year 3: $27,562
Architecture (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $39,281
  • Year 2: $50,439
  • Year 3: N/A
Interior Architecture (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $54,035
  • Year 3: N/A
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $35,493
  • Year 2: $35,060
  • Year 3: N/A
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $168,979
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $238,213
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $135,965
  • Year 2: $127,836
  • Year 3: $150,089
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $116,248
  • Year 2: $82,440
  • Year 3: $128,102
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,961
  • Year 2: $103,078
  • Year 3: $117,488
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $89,271
  • Year 2: $86,036
  • Year 3: $96,602
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,162
  • Year 2: $72,083
  • Year 3: $95,204
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,938
  • Year 2: $73,823
  • Year 3: $89,917
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,557
  • Year 2: $57,770
  • Year 3: $87,057
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,899
  • Year 2: $67,660
  • Year 3: $86,155
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,205
  • Year 2: $68,666
  • Year 3: $82,520

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